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Mets legends set to appear at BAT dinner

Mets legends set to appear at BAT dinner

5/16/83: Darryl Strawberry launches his first career home run in the fifth inning against the Pirates

By Evan Drellich
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MLB.com |

An event that's normally star-studded is going to be Mets-centric next week in New York.

The Baseball Assistance Team's 23rd annual "Going to Bat for B.A.T. Fundraising Dinner," benefiting those in the baseball world in need, will celebrate the Mets' 50th anniversary with a slew of Shea Stadium's former occupants.

Scheduled to appear on Tuesday at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square are Tom Seaver, Choo Choo Coleman, David Cone, John Franco, Dwight Gooden, Bud Harrelson, Keith Hernandez, Jerry Koosman, Ed Kranepool, Al Leiter, Darryl Strawberry and Rusty Staub. B.A.T.'s president is Gary Thorne, now a broadcaster with the Orioles who called Mets games for parts of three decades, and current Mets analyst Ron Darling is to co-emcee the event.

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner is serving as the evening's Honorary Dinner Chairman. Willie Mays, who briefly played and coached for the Mets, and Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax, who played for the Mets' spiritual predecessors in New York, are to appear as well.

Several awards will be given out at the dinner, with one going to Carlos Beltran, the Mets' cornerstone center fielder until last season. He established the Carlos Beltran Foundation in 2002 to assist communities in his native Puerto Rico and funded an $8 million project, the landmark Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy.

The Mets are giving away a pair of season tickets this season season on Mets.com via their FANtastic at 50 photo contest celebrating their half-centennial. Tickets to B.A.T.'s dinner can be found online.

Evan Drellich is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @EvanDrellich. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.